


A Small Act

by Ulalume



Series: Shadow Seeker [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 10:18:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1741061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulalume/pseuds/Ulalume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyr collects rocks. He started picking up interesting rocks as a child, but it wasn’t until he was in school that he collected a rock for a reason other than it was pleasing to the eye. After that, rocks became a way of marking milestones on Kyr’s personal path. He picks them up to remember where he’s been. They illustrate his history.</p><p>The rock in this story (under cut) is no longer in his possession, having been lost in an attack on his ship, but he remembers the circumstances well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Small Act

**Author's Note:**

> aquestionofcharacter Prompt:
> 
> Character Question of the Day: Does your character collect anything? If they do, why?
> 
> Originally posted: http://the-oubliette.tumblr.com/post/44196991852/aquestionofcharacter-character-question-of-the

The boys walked in orderly rows through the academy building until they reached the courtyard. Their instructors guided them through the statues and sculptures, explaining their significance to Chiss history and science. Nikyri was interested and had been looking forward to this excursion, but he felt tightly wound as he held his excitement at bay behind a carefully calm exterior.

He liked learning about their people, yet he was frustrated. He wanted to look at all of the statues and read the plaques, not just the ones chosen by the instructors, not just the ones deemed worthy of discussion. He also wanted to run his hands over the sculptures, feel the textures, and observe the details. He wanted to know how they were made, how they fit together. The students had been warned not to touch anything, though, so he balled his hands into fists and jammed them into his pockets to keep himself from accidentally disobeying.

Nikyri wanted to be a good son, a good student, a proper Chiss. His family relied on him to set an example for his sister and cousins and he tried — he really did — but he had a hard time keeping his energy contained. He spoke too openly, showed too much emotion, was too interested in the world beyond Chiss space.

Even as he stood, his shoulders and back straight, his attention seemingly on the lecture, he was constantly wondering about things, his mind barely forming a question before he was on to the next. What motivated this Aristocra do what he did? How big was the galaxy? How was this sculpture created? What kind of machinery was used? How many other species were there? Were there other people like them? Not like them? Could he visit the shipyards?

Nikyri turned his head to watch the light glint off the metal across the courtyard, thinking about the angle of the sun and how many other suns there might be in the galaxy when his instructor addressed him directly.

“Might we have your attention, Helon’ikyr’inrokini?” The instructor’s stern tones broke through his pondering and he snapped his head forward, his cheeks suffused purple.

“My apologies.” He dipped his head down, movements asking forgiveness for his lack of attention, and was relieved that no one laughed at the reprimand. Of course they didn’t. The others were too disciplined. Nikyri sighed quietly. He sometimes felt like an embarrassment or worse, an imposter.

The instructor eyed him, his lips pursed with annoyance, then resumed his lecture. Cheunh flowed as if there had been no break, and Nikyri gritted his teeth, keeping his attention firmly on the lecture while his jaw ached. Eventually, the class moved towards the building again, and Nikyri let his shoulders gradually slump, tension draining. 

As they walked, he could hear the instructors reminding the students again not to touch anything and something clicked inside him.

Nikyri couldn’t explain the flash of defiance that suddenly burned within him, and he couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t want to stop himself. He reached out and touched a statue although fear of being caught made his movement surreptitious. He almost laughed at how ridiculously giddy he felt.

Emboldened by his last move, Nikyri glanced around then quickly picked up a random stone and placed it in his pocket. It was just a small thing, but it was a symbol of, well, something he couldn’t quite articulate. Still, he felt pleased — and a little frightened — as he stroked the surface of the uninteresting rock while they headed back to the transport station.


End file.
